As you can imagine, we sit on the top of the NFL power rankings. We are the best team in football. We are without one of our best players. We are capable of losing games. We are not invincible. But we are 8-1. This simple fact of our record is one that should be cherished by football fans all across the state of Texas. At the University of Houston I have seen a roughly 400% increase in the support of the Texans since my rookie year here in 2010. This is a time that many of us on this board called footballs future have been waiting for. We remember when we drafted Cushing and Barwin back to back in 2009. We remember when we drafted Kareem Jackson and Ben Tate back to back in 2010. We saw the Texans get slammed for taking Duane Brown out of Virginia Tech in 2008. Now we are here to claim our dominance.

A quiet, humble attitude goes a long way. As fans, we would benefit tremendously by adopting the ways of the teams greatest player, Andre Johnson, in our lives. Andre Johnson is an example for us all. Whether you have watched football for 65 years or this is your 6th year or your 6th month or 6th game of watching football. It really makes no difference. We are in this together. Andre Johnson has been the type of person, not just player, who you can hang your hat on at the end of the day. You know what you are going to get from him when he is healthy and out on a football field. He isn't going to demand the football, he isn't going to get upset when his stats are low, he isn't going to get angry when we run the ball on the goal line instead of throwing him fades, he isn't going to slack off when it comes to blocking for the run game. He cares about the team. We all should.

I'm not here telling you what you should think about 8-1 or how to live your life. I'm just saying, from where I'm sitting, this record is pretty sweet. And of course 8-1 doesn't earn you anything. It doesn't really earn you respect if you fizzle out the rest of the way. It doesn't earn you any pride if you are one and done in the playoffs. It doesn't make you feel good when you are watching some other team hold up the Lombardi trophy. You and I both know that what matters most for this team is to win the last game of the season. I think everyone can see that this team knows that. This team is focused on that. We still have a ways to go on this journey. But man, it never hurts to stop and smell the roses._________________

Funny, I would go another direction with that considering all way got in return for the humble AJ years was mediocre results. The way I see it, is that in a competitive team sport, you need friction and balance and until the quiet humility of Kubiak, AJ, Schaub, Foster, Myers and others was met with the ferocity of Watt, Antonio Smith, Manning, Cushing, and Barwin we were not going anywhere. BALANCE to me has become the key to everything we do including:

Offense/Defense: Jets, Chiefs, Jags, Cardinals veer too much one way and the Saints, Lions, Colts, Redskins the other. We can finally confidently win games both ways.

Veteran/Youth: Some teams let themselves get old like the Steelers and Chargers while others are perpetually young like the Rams or Browns. Texans are at that sweet spot with a roster sprinkled with 30+ leaders like AJ/Schaub/Myers and Smith/Manning with a young nucleus 24-28.

Draft / Free Agency: At a certain point teams need to recognize that perpetually building thru the draft will have them losing talent out the door every 4th year and never having enough to get over the hump because there are too many holes to fill (Bengals, Browns). Making strategic moves like we finally did for Joseph and Manning while retaining Schaub, Foster, Brown, Myers was the key. Other teams like the Eagles and Redskins are always looking for shortcuts and get burned.

Ego / Low Ego - The Jets and Cowboys are the obvious examples here of ego gone nuts, but far more teams lack any identity at all (Browns, Rams) or are led by a guy who shouldn't be leading (Panthers, Bills).

Stars / Depth - The Texans are deep enough to withstand a few critical injuries without imploding. Compare that to the Jets who were dead once Holmes and Revis went down, Cardinals without Wells/Kolb, or Washington losing Orakpo/Carriker. The Ravens, Packers, Giants may recoil a bit with injury but eventually recover. We are likely to again see the Bears lack of offensive depth result in a late season swoon.

Run / Throw - The Texans are one of the few teams around that can still beat you both ways. You are even seeing the Patriots and Saints bringing back the running game and Packers will this offseason. Meanwhile, teams like the 49ers, Seahawks, Chiefs, Bills and Browns that can't effectively throw will always be limited. There hasn't been a run & defense oriented Super Bowl Champ since the Ravens in 01 and I don't see the Bears or 49ers changing that trend this year.

Pass Rush / Run Stopping / Pass Protection - Texans were imbalanced in back with this forever until JJoe and Manning got here to shore things up and Kareem matured. The Eagles and Bills both think you can exist without tackling, being able to stop the run, or need your secondary to do more than try to make flashy interceptions. I still think the Falcons inability to run or stop the run will ultimately be their undoing. New England still can't stop the pass and the Giants secondary is a much bigger problem than Eli Manning's arm right now.

New Coach / Old Coach - this is where I think the Texans finally got the best of both worlds. I don't think Tomlin transitions to the leader he became without the stability of LeBeau or he's just Raheem Morris. McCarthy didn't get to where he is without Capers. Payton needed Williams. Kubiak may have plenty to offer, but there is no substitute for the steady calm of Wade Phillips who has seen it all. Phillips doesn't work at the top of the food chain because his offenses are stale and his mellow player friendly tone get's taken advantage of. Again, this is where a old guard guy like Rex Ryan needs someone from the new guard rather than another old school guy like Schottenhiemer or Sporano. Think Norv Turner needed to bring in better energy than Hal Hunter to shake up a backsliding offense? Pairing an attitude guy like Schiano with a young creative OC like Sullivan seams to be working in Tampa. Pairing Sherman and Tannehill was a smart move in Miami that will jump start them faster than Weeden, but Philbin seems a bit redundant especially with his Sherman-esque old fart demeanor that needs a Kevin Sumlin type energy._________________

While 8-1 feels great, you're right Jargin that it gets us nothing. We have out flaws, at MLB and the right side of the OL, but every team has flaws this year._________________
^CalhounLambeau on the sick sig^